Group to FG: Honour agreement with ASUU, court action unnecessary
A Civil Society Organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has challenged the Federal Government to honour its agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and for them to call off the over seven-month-old strike.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director, CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, where, the statement described Federal Government’s legal action as frivolous, intemperate and ill-thought.
According to the statement, instead of government grandstanding and to compelling university lecturers to work under terrible conditions should take responsibility and do the needful as demanded by the lecturers in the interest of students and national Development.
The statement reads in part, “CAPPA’s position is in reaction to the Federal Government’s decision to file a case pursuant to Section 17 of the Trade Dispute Act before the Industrial Arbitration Court in Abuja. The government is challenging the continued strike by ASUU which is now seven months
“It is the consistent failure of the federal government to live up to its obligations and agreements to bolster public education and university systems in Nigeria that has led to the indefinite closure of universities. The government must own up to this fact instead of grandstanding to compel university lecturers to work under terrible conditions.
“If the Federal government succeeds in its quest to force lecturers back to the classrooms, it would recourse to the victimization of lecturers and other acts of impunity reminiscent of the military era.
“Unfortunately, such a path will only bring short relief. Within a very short time, our public universities will be back to the same situation and another round of strikes.
“The Federal Government is to honour its agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) so that public universities can be reopened instead of engaging in frivolous exercises, the latest being its recourse to the National Industrial Court to arm-twist striking University lecturers.” Vanguard
